QCOSTARICA – For their preparedness to face tsunamis, the communities of Tamarindo and Sámara were recognized by the Junta Nacional Tsunami Ready de Costa Rica (NTRA) – National Tsunami Ready Board of Costa Rica.
Recognizing efforts to minimize the loss of life and property caused by a tsunami and promoting preparedness for the danger of such an event are the objectives of the Tsunami Ready Pilot Program of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission.
“This is a recognition of the work of the communities and their organizations that include Municipal and Community Emergency Committees, Integral Development Associations and ASADAS, among others. Furthermore, in some communities, schools and hotels have been actively involved in the process, for example, in Sámara and Tamarindo,” commented Silvia Chacón, coordinator of the National Tsunami Monitoring System of the National University (SINAMOT-UNA).
The program is present in the four tsunami warning systems in the world: Pacific, Caribbean, Indian and Northeast Atlantic-Mediterranean.
Identify evacuation routes, distribute educational and informative material, carry out activities on tsunamis, prepare a Preparedness and Response Plan and have functional 24/7 mechanisms, are some of the indicators that communities must meet to obtain recognition.
Four communities with pending indicators that were also approved for the award were:
- Jacó and Quepos: only missing is the tsunami drill
- Tivives: pending is the simulation and the informative tsunami activity
- Uvita-Bahía (Osa) still needs to place the signs of evacuation routes due to tsunami and define a third mechanism for disseminating the alert.
Together with Ostional, recognized in 2017 and Playas del Coco in 2020, they make Costa Rica the Central American country with the most Tsunami Ready communities.
This badge must be renewed every four years.
“Tsunami Ready and the use of a unified logo worldwide represent a plus for tourism in recognized communities, contributing to the economic reactivation that the country so badly needs, since national and international tourists who visit them know that they will find communities. better prepared to face a tsunami,” concluded Chacón.
In the event of a Tsunami: do you know what to do?
A tsunami can kill or injure people and damage or destroy buildings and infrastructure as waves come in and go out. A tsunami is a series of enormous ocean waves caused by earthquakes, underwater landslides, volcanic eruptions, or asteroids.
There has never been a significant tsunami recorded in Costa Rica. According to WorldData.info, in a total of 5 tidal waves classified as a tsunami since 1950 and a total of 3 people died in Costa Rica.
Compared to other countries, Tsunamis, therefore, occur rather rarely.
If you are under a Tsunami warning:
- First, protect yourself from an Earthquake
- Get to high ground as far inland as possible
- Be alert to signs of a tsunami, such as a sudden rise or draining of ocean waters
- Listen to emergency information and alerts
- Evacuate: DO NOT wait!
- If you are in a boat, go out to sea
For Tsunami preparedness, how and why to evacuate if conditions suggest a tsunami risk in your area, visit the Red Cross website.
